Mitch Haniger had a premonition.
Shortly after the All-Star break, the struggling Seattle Mariners outfielder approached manager Scott Servais and told him, “I’m about to get hot.”
Haniger had two hits and homered both Friday and Saturday against visiting Philadelphia, his first time with multiple hits since June 10 against the lowly Chicago White Sox, to help the American League West-leading Mariners to a pair of victories against the National League East-leading Phillies.
Haniger and the Mariners hope that continues when they open a three-game series against visiting Detroit on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park.
“He’s had great years here where he’s hit the long ball. He’s been really consistent at the plate,” Servais said. “It’s been a little frustrating for him — like a lot of our guys early in the season — to get it going. But players that have played as long as he has in the league, they feel it. He’s starting to feel it and we need it.”
The oft-injured Haniger, who returned to the Mariners in an offseason trade after spending a year in San Francisco, had a strong spring training and the team hoped he might regain the form that made him an All-Star in 2018.
Instead, he bottomed out in July when he hit just .159 and his playing time dwindled.
“My posture has been like messed up the whole first half,” Haniger said. “I feel like after the second half, I kind of honed in on that and it’s been improving a lot.
“I had a great spring and instant success, and then it kind of didn’t help me. Everything I had worked on, I kind of had to throw it to the side and go back to what I’ve done in the past, get back to swinging like I can and just keep my head still and stay more upright.”
On Saturday, Haniger homered to spark a comeback from a five-run deficit and drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning to bring home the winning run in a 6-5 decision.
It was Haniger’s seventh career walk-off as a Mariner, tying him with Jim Presley for the franchise record.
“A win is a win, but hitting in a walk-off feels a little better,” Haniger joked.
The Tigers have lost six of their past seven games. Sunday’s defeat to visiting Kansas City might have been the toughest, as Royals pinch-hitter MJ Melendez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Shelby Miller.
“I think Shelby had given up eight hits (actually six) against lefties all year going into that inning,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “They got two, two-strike hits from (Hunter) Renfroe and (Freddy) Fermin, and then a bad splitter to a guy who can hit the ball out of the park.”
One bright spot for the Tigers has been Colt Keith, who was named the AL Rookie of the Month for July when he batted .322 with seven homers and 17 RBIs.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup will feature Tigers rookie right-hander Keider Montero (1-5, 6.18 ERA) against Seattle ace Luis Castillo (9-10, 3.43).
Montero, who will be facing the Mariners for the first time, has lost his past three starts. Last Thursday against Kansas City, he allowed four runs on six hits over seven innings of a 7-1 defeat.
Castillo has defeated 27 of the 28 teams he has faced in his career, with the lone exception being the Tigers — he’s 0-3 with a 3.91 ERA in four starts against them.
Castillo is coming off a 10-6 victory last Tuesday in Boston in which he gave up three runs on six hits over six innings.
–Field Level Media
